Airship



I. J. MARRIAGE Feb. 5, 1935.

AIHSHIP Filed Oct. 28, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

l. J. MARRIAGE Feb; 5, 1935.

AIRSHIP Filed Oct. 28, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 2 Feb. 5, 1935. J. MARRIAGE1,989,708

AIRSHIP Filed Oct. 28, 1929 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Feb. 5, 1935. ,1. J.MARRIAGE 5 3 I AIRSHIP Filed Oct. 28, 1929 4 sheets-sheet 4 INVENTOR.

Patented Feb. 5, 1935 i UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 1,989,708 misun- IIra J. Marriage, Mullinville, Kans. Application October 28, 1929, SerialNo. 403,012

The object of this invention is to provide a inFig. 1, are driven inawhirling motion for lift means by which an air-ship can rise verticallying ship upwards and retaining same in mid-air, and then sustain itselfin mid-air while maneueach set of wings hav n an pp motion to verying asfollows: the other in order to stabilize the ship. These Hover in agiven position; move either forward wings can be adjusted to a morelevel plane after 5 or backward at speeds from very slow to very h Shipgains Suflicient m mentum either forrapid; turn to the right or to theleft while movward or backward, then the clutch in bell-housing forwardor backward without the aid of a tail, ing 33 may be released, afterwhich the wings are or even revolve to the right or to the left in apivused as planes for sailing. I otal action, and alight gently from ahigh per- The mechanism which controls the tilting of 10 pendicularposition either with or without the aid the wings is arrang d so as otilt same in reof the motor. verse angles to that required for lifting,thereby A further object of my invention is to guide the making itpossible to take advantage of the under vertically inclined drivingshafts on which the air pressure when alighting with a dead motor.

Wings are mounted. When descending, these wings may be tilted in 15These and other objects will hereinafter b'e reverse, and thedisplacement of air will cause more fully explained, reference being hadto the them to whirl at a terrific speed, thus providing accompanyingdrawings forming a part of this momentum for an opposite tilt when nearthe specification, and in which like characters will ground, causingthem to lift and facilitate land apply to like parts in the differentviews. ing. 20

Referring to the drawings: The foregoing performances are made possibleFig. 1 is the side view of the air-ship proper. by the followingdescribed coordination of mecha- Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1. nisms:

Fig. 3 is an enlarged detail view of the vertical InFigs. 3 and 6 theshifting-lever 14 being jourpropeller shafts and shaft connectionstherefor, naled to pintle 12 in the center of clamp-coupling 25 partsremoved for convenience of illustration. 11, serves as a rigid supportfor same. The pegs Fig. 4 is an enlarged sectional view in detail of 15and 16 which protrude upwards through and the vertical shaft housing andpropeller. above the slotted openings in clamp-coupling 11, Fig. 5 is aplan view of one section of the proare attached rigidly to connections 6and 7 and peller frame. are held in proper position between the forks 1330 Fig. 6 is an enlarged fragmentary plan view and 13 by same; thus bytwisting the lever 14 to of the horizontal drive shaft housing andprothe right or to the left on the pintle 12, the conpeller controllever, sectionally shown. nections 6 and 7 are forced to turn in arcsoppo- Fig. 7 is an enlarged plan view of the propeller site to eachother, but when the lever 14 is moved assembly partly in section andother parts re toward the rightor toward the left on the same 35 moved.axis with the connections 6 and 7 then both said Fig. 8 is a modifiedend view'of an air-ship connections with their eccentric mountingsfolshowing the tilt of the propeller sections. lowthe same are inunison. When the connec- Fig. 9 is a plan view of Fig. 8. tions 6 and 7are fully assembled, the two bear- Fig. 10 is amodified form ofreversing the proing points 17 and-17 are journaled in the two 40 pellerblades, parts removed for convenience of bearings 18 and -18, therebyholding the eccentrics illustration. 9 and 9 in a central position inthe gear-housings Fig. 11 is a sectional plan view of Fig. 10 taken 8and 8. (See illustrated eccentric 9 in Fig. 4.) on line 6-0, looking inthe-direction of the ar- The sleeve 34 in Fig. 4 is forked at the lowerrows, end, and is held in position straddle of the ec- 45 Fig. 12 is asectional view taken on line D-D centric 9 by means of two pins atpoints a and b, in Fig. 10, looking in the direction of the arrows.above and below the eccentric .rim; push-rod 10 Fig. 13 is a plan viewof the shifting means for being journaled in sleeve 34 to bearing 35,extends the propeller shafts from a vertical plane transupwards thru thecenter of torque-shaft 36 into ve'rsely to the longitudinal axis of thefuselage. the driving-head 2, and is firmly secured to the 50 Fig. 14 isan enlarged sectional view of the adjusting-sleeve 37. Thisadjusting-sleeve being propeller frame work taken on line A-AinFig. 5.equipped with two forked arms as j in Fig. 4, My invention hereindisclosed consists in the which extend upwards from opposite edges, andconstruction and assembly of parts as follows. having eyelets E and E inthe forks, serve as an The two setsof wings 1 and 1. when tilted. asadjuster to the wings 1 and 1, bymeans of the 66 upper forks E and E(see Fig. '7) being journaled to levers 38 and 38, which protrude out atright angle from the wing pintles 4 and 4, being firmly secured to same.These wing-pintles 4 and 4 are journaled in the bearings X and X ofdrivinghead 2, (see Fig. 7) and therefore have the same axis. This beingthe case it can readily be seen that when forks E and E are journaled topintlelevers 38 and 38, which have their positions on opposite sides ofsaid axis, that any movement up or down of the adjusting sleeve 37, willmove the pintles 4 and 4 in opposite arcs, thus moving or tilting wings1 and 1 in reverse pitches to their axes.

Not only does each wing in each wing-assemblage take a pitch opposite tothat of the other, but each set of wings in each wing-assemblage takesreverse pitches to those in the other assemblage. These latter positionsare necessary because one wing-assemblage is rotated clockwise and theother contraclockwise. The object in rotating one wing-assemblageclockwise and the other contraclockwise is for the purpose ofstabilizing the air-ship.

There are two good methods of assembling the mechanisms for obtainingthe results or manners of adjustment just explained: first, theeccentrics 9 and 9, as seen in Fig. 6, are mounted at the ends ofconnections 6 and 7 in a manner so as to be opposed to one another whensaid connections are forced to describe arcs simultaneously to the rightor left, thereby causing one eccentric to lift pushrod 10 and assembly,while the opposite motion is produced on the other push-rod'assembly;furthermore, when the lever 14 is twisted to the right or to the left,the connections 6 and 7 are shifted in opposite arcs to one another, bymeans of the shifting forks 13 and 13, thereby causing eccentrics 9 and9 to work simultaneously, describing their arcs in opposite directionswhich H moves each push-rod 10, and assembly, up atthe same time or downat the same time.

When the wings are in their tilted positions lifting, this last actiondescribed above, may be necessary for the purpose of producing positionsmore oblique to one set of wings and less oblique to the "other, for thepurpose of balancing the air-ship and for maneuvering.

To rock the propeller shafts from a vertical position as a turning meansfor the ship, I have arranged a cable 30 to engage on sheave wheels 32that are pivotally carried on the frame-work of the fuselage or otherconvenient frame-work, the said cable is positioned in working relationto each of the vertical shafts 20-20 and secured thereto, and to rockthe same transverse to the longitudinal axis of .the fuselage, the saidcable is moved longitudinally through the medium of a lever 29 that ispivoted to a suitable bearing 31, the cable being attached to the leverat an intermediate joint approximately as shown, by which means when thelever is rockedto and fro with the cable line of travel the saidvertical shafts and propellers carried thereby are rocked in oppositedirections, it being understood that the rocking movement will engage inthe elongated slots in the upper hull of the fuselage near each endthereof as shown bydotted lines in Fig. 2.

The segment of motor shaft 39, in Fig. 3, is shown in order td give theposition which it holds in relation to the rest of the drivingmechanisms and assemblies. Note the bell-housing 33 in which the clutchis housed and in which the main driving-shaft 40 is joumaled. This maindrivingshaft 40 is also journaled in bearings 19 and 19,

thus giving it a straight line from the bell-housing through bothgear-housing assemblies 8 and 8.

The drive pinion 41 is shown in Fig. 4, is mounted rigidly to shaft 40,and holds its position in mesh with the bevel gear 42 at its peripherynearest the bearing 19 of each gear housing; therefore when thedrive-shaft is being rotated "eac'h bevel gear 42 is being rotated in anopposite circle to the other. Note also thatthe torqueshaft 36 issecured rigidly at its lower end to the center of the bevel gear hub,and at its upper end to the center of the hub of driving-head 2, therebyproviding a means by which the wing assembly is rotated. Thetorque-shaft-housing 20 answers as a rigid support to the torque-shaft36, by bea of thegear-housing bearings 18 and 18 and 19 and 19.

The forward and rearward motions of the airship, are controlled by meansof a reversible propeller (see Figs. 10, 11, and 12) mounted on themotor-shaft 39. This propeller can be adjusted at will, through the useof a forked lever which engages the two pegs 46 and 46, on the adjustingcollar-bearing 47, which is securely journaled to the adjusting-sleeve48. This adjusting-sleeve is equipped with two arms, as 49 shown inFigs. 10 and 12, extending upwards from opposite edges and having forkedeyelets at their extremities, which journal to the collar arms 50 and50. The sleeve ends of the propeller-blades 51 and 51 are journaled inthe head-bearings 52 and 52 of the propeller driving-head 53, and areheld securely by the shifting-collars 50 and 50 and nuts 54 and 54;therefore when the adjusting-sleeve 48 is moved forward toward thepropeller, the blades 51 and 51 being journaled on the same axis, arecompelled to describe reverse arcs to said axis, giving them forwardpitches to any desired amount from a neutral position. when moving thesleeve 48 rearward, an opposite effect is produced from that justdescribed.

The plate 55 which is bolted onto the front end of the propeller-headbearings, (see Fig. 10) is for the purpose of giving added strength tohold bearings 52 and 52 more rigid.

Referring back to Figs. 1 and'2, it will be seen lage; a main drivingshaft extending longitudinally inside, near a central position, withdriving pinions secured thereto and engaged with bevel gears; hollowtorque-shafts secured to the hubs of said bevel-gears and extendingupwards;

through-crosswise, slotted openings -in the roof of fuselag at rightangle with the main driveshaft; driving-heads mounted at the upper endsof torque-shafts; bearings provided in alignment at right angle to theline of torque-shafts, in

said driving-heads: pintles secured in said bearings, with one wingmounted to the head of each pintle, and one lever secured rigidly toeach said pintle, in positions at the opposite ends from thewing-mountings parallel to the wings. said levers being enclosed insideof said driving-head.

2. In an air-ship, the combination with a fuselage; a power drivingassemblage journaled withing gear-housings; gear-housings joinedtogether by journaled sleeve-connections; outer journalbearings ongear-housings having the same axes as the main driving-shaft; bearingsthat are rigid with the fuselage and journaled on said outer bearings;upright torque-housings rigidly attached to gear-housings; an endlesscable attached to both torque-housings and held in position at rightangles to both by pulleys; means by which cable may be held firm andshifted at will, thus holding the torque-housings in perpendicularpositions, and in tilted positions opposite to each other from aperpendicular line.

3. In an air-ship, the combination with a fuselage; main drivingmechanisms journaled in housings; outer housing bearings joumaled tolage; semi-circular wings with convex surfaces, arranged in circularassemblies and being attached pivotaily to the driving-heads on oppositesides thereof an adjustable sleeve inside of each driving-head, withupright arms journaled to the wing-pintle-levers; a push-rod, rigidlysecured to each said sleeve, at its upper end and journaled to a forkedsleeve at its lower end; an eccentric secured to each forked sleeve andmounted to the ends of two sleeve connections; means for turning saidsleeve-connections and eccentrics simultaneously in either direction tovary the pitch of the wings.

4. In an air-ship wing, the combination with a main frame; a tubularpintle, said pintle being equipped with a flanged head on one end, and ashort lever attached at right angle near the other end; spokesconstituting the main frame, attached to the head of said pintle in twocorresponding sections forming a half circle, and an outer circular rimbeing attached to and between the outer ends of said spokes; the outersurfaces of said wing when covered being convex shaped. IRA J. MARRIAGE.

